Her caregivers call her Missy. A tiny strawberry blonde feline with white trim, she is barely more than a kitten herself. Five days ago, outside in frigidly cold weather Missy gave birth to her first litter of kittens. Thanks to the PCFCI TNR program, this litter will be her last.
Missy's caregivers reached out to PCFCI to assist them with the ever-growing colony that they have been feeding and sheltering for over six years. These people have provided shelter and food to countless numbers of cats over this period of time. Despite neighbourhood complaints about the odour and the noise from territorial fighting, they could not bear to watch the homeless cats and kittens literally starving in front of their eyes. They contacted various agencies to see what solutions were available. Sadly they came to the realization that if surrendered to the shelter the unsocialized adult cats would be killed as they were deemed unadoptable. The final straw was the day they saw a hungry cat eat a Kleenex out of the garbage. They built shelters and started feeding the most nutritious diet they could afford. They found homes for many of the kittens and friendly adults. Unfortunately, as evidenced by the ever-increasing size of the colony, this just wasn't enough to resolve the problem.
The missing piece of the puzzle was sterilization. No matter how many cats they were able to find homes for, the remaining cats continued to reproduce, resulting in a never ending supply of new cats to the colony. This is why TNR is the only humane and fiscally responsible solution to address the issue. TNR translates into no more kittens, no more noise and no more odour. Over time the colony dies off through attrition.
Missy and her kittens will have a temporary new home, safe from the many predators that prey on small kittens. When the kittens are old enough to eat on their own, they will be placed in foster care in order to further prepare for adoption. Missy will be spayed and also placed in an adoption program, waiting for her forever home.
With your generosity and support, PCFCI will continue to work toward making a difference in the lives of these cats. At the very least they are deserving of the safe haven of a managed colony and just maybe a chance at finding their forever home.
